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I completed the holy trinity of current consoles by picking up an Xbox yesterday. It’s now sitting nestled beside my PS2, with the Gamecube riding piggyback as I’m quickly running out of shelf space! I’d been told more times than I can remember how I simply had to play Halo, and I’m pretty interested in trying out Jet Set Radio Future too, so I’m happy games wise for the very short term future. However, I’m more concerned about the console in the long term and knowing people here are particularly critical of Microsoft’s new toy, I thought I’d let you in on my findings after an hour or so reading the web’s reports on E3 and my own thoughts.
I own a Gamecube and PS2 already, so anything multi-format and I’m covered (naively assuming that quality is consistent on ports between consoles). I clearly have a PC too, though the thought of keeping it top-of-the-range for gaming worries my wallet, so it’s conveniently forgotten about for the moment. Question boils down to are there enough quality Xbox exclusives to make its purchase worthwhile?
Before we get to the games the starting point has to be the hardware. I know I may be alone in saying this – but I like it, including the size. The first thing that strikes you about the console is how big and heavy it is, and for me that was reassuring in a strange kind of way. It feels like something that should have cost you a fairly sizable wad of cash and that it’ll take a few bashes and tumbles and be none the worse for wear. The controller wasn’t as bad as I was expecting either. Again, it is far bulkier than the other consoles controllers and I’ll happily admit it is a shade too big, however the big curves feel rather natural in your hand. It is undoubtedly chunky and people with small hands will struggle, but for me it’s oversized nature is preferable to the Dreamcast’s controller which was slightly too small.
The shoulder buttons are superb too, second only to the Gamecube’s. They’ve got the huge, smooth action that’s missing from the PS2’s controller yet is vital for proper analogue buttons. The actual sticks are a little too loose for my liking, would like to feel a little more resistance and a smoother action, but no huge problems. Oh, and four ports on the front of the console is always good in my book. Why didn’t the PS2 have this as standard? I’m I being too cynical when I jump to the conclusion that it was merely a ploy to get more cash from selling multi-taps separately?
The four-controller port thing actually brings up an interesting area – the amount that is included in the Xbox as standard. For your £200 you not only get the console with the most pure grunt, but broadband capabilities and a hard drive as standard. Okay, so the only use for this at the moment is to save games (hence no real need for a memory card, which is handy as the Xbox’s are really ugly), but in the coming months this will be hugely important.
We’ve had it drummed into our heads for what seems like years that hard drives and on-line titles are the next big thing in consoles – but nothing, as of yet, has come of it. One reason is that we simply don’t have the infrastructure to facilitate this next step. The Dreamcast tried 56k on line gaming, but this is very limited by definition. BT are slowly rolling out ADSL, and the cable boys are doing their bit too, so fingers crossed for wider access to broadband as I’m genuinely excited about on-line titles (but more of that later). Another barrier is that people simply don’t like buying expensive add-ons for their consoles until the software is there to give them some guarantee that they’ll get their monies worth. However, the problem is that the games publishers don’t want to fund games that make full use of e.g. a hard drive, until they know there is a market big enough to support the investment. You see the Xbox’s advantage yet? Every single Xbox user has the same modem and the same hard drive, so no one has to worry about shelling out extra cash or developing for a reduced portion of the potential Xbox market. Hopefully this means both features will be used and we, as gamers, can see what all the fuss has been about.
Another bonus I would see in the Xbox’s hardware is it’s similarities to top end PCs. I know, I know, most people will see this as a flaw, and really the two aren’t that similar, it’s just the use of the GeForce GPU in the Xbox. Everyone knows that consoles best games technically come towards the end of its life cycle as developers have had longer with the hardware and know how to squeeze every last drop of goodness out of it. By using a GeForce GPU (and, I guess, also the Intel CPU), Microsoft are using something that most developers have been working with for significant periods of time. Sure, we’ve changed from the GeForce 1 to the GeForce 2 and 3 and 4 etc, and the Xbox’s is slightly different again, but there is more of a relationship bridging the gaps between these cards and that between, say, the PSX and PS2.
Once we get down to consumer level, that won’t really matter – gameplay not graphics and all that. However, gameplay is facilitated by graphics and CPU cycles to calculate, for example, AI algorithms, but it also means PC ports will be quick and easy. For some reason I am now imaging reader cringe because I actually think PC ports are a good thing… well, look at it this way, how much does a top of the range PC cost? One where you can play every game as the developers intended i.e. with every graphics variable on/maxed out. A PC that will do this now won’t even last you that long in maxed out mode as something bigger and better that requires more grunt will inevitably come along within a year – especially now nVida are using shorter development cycles for their cards and hence are pumping them out faster. I’m not pretending for a second that the Xbox will be as powerful as a top end PC in 18 months time, but in the console environment you know you are always playing the game as the developer intended. You know you are using the hardware that the title was optimised for, so it is squeezing every potential drop of power out of it. Do you really think they’ll bother doing that for an older PC graphics card, which only a fraction of their user base will actually have?
Anyway, easy PC ports equal more games, which can only be a good thing. It’s that simple, and it also brings me back to the games, which is handy. As I’ve already mentioned for those who’ve skimmed down/forgot/lost the will to live somewhere in the middle of the hardware rant, these are all Xbox exclusives in the console market i.e. PC doesn’t count for my purposes here.
DOOM III
Ah, one of those PC port then, and one that’s bound to need a £2000 plus uber-box to see in all it’s glory, or maybe just a £200 Xbox. The boys at id may have been quiet of late, and John Carmack has undoubtedly lost his title as FPS’s Golden Boy, but this is a new Doom game and that’s still something to get excited about. The potential problem is that the FPS market is now subtly different to when Doom’s trademark Hordes were last seen – Half Life have lead gamers to expect a plot. Not a bad thing at all, Deus Ex has taken Half Life’s place as the primo FPS-with-a-storyline title and shown just how good it can get. Will id stun us with something better? Well according to the E3 reports, they are boasting about their “professionally written storyline”, but at the end of the day does that really matter hugely? Serious Sam has shown that we are still up for some good old-fashioned hoards and a plot no more complicated than “you must kill everything that moves for some reason”, and another slice of Doom will still be welcome if it was to take these lines.
The thing about Doom always was the atmosphere. It may only have been crude clusters of pixels attacking you, but the adrenaline was pumping and this was mostly due to the hoards of bloodthirsty beasties attacking you. One might argue that all the storyline really does is aid this atmosphere, and this is provided amply by the adrenaline rush from hoards and Doom’s traditional threat. Okay, clearly some entertainment can be derived from a good plot, but if that’s what I’m looking for I’ll watch a film or read a book. The mere hint that the AI routines are based on sight almost has this game sold to me. Imagine the threat of the masses of enemies swarming on you like in the original titles, but that they can see you and are basing their attack patterns based on the landscape that in the vision.
Really, it is far too early to make that many conclusions on this title. The screen shots look great but the simple fact that it’s a new Doom game should whet the appetite. A challenger for Halo’s crown as top console FPS? Only time will tell.
STAR WARS GALAXIES
I am looking forward to this game more than any other (provided BT can get their lazy behinds in gear and get the local phone exchange up to speed). I was brought up on Nintendo and Mario 64 is my favourite ever game, but Mario Sunshine is an unexpected second to this title.
Star Wars Galaxies is an MMORPG – a Massively Multiplayer On-Line Game. You play in the same world as every other person who plays the game, so through the wonders of a broadband connection you’re in a worldwide community. My only real experience of an MMORPG to date is Asherton’s Call on the PC (Phantasy Star On-Line simply doesn’t count, it isn’t a true MMORPG), and it’s left me thirsty for more. Inside my first hour on Asherton’s Call I got a huge boost by an experienced player who decided to give me a huge pile of his old equipment and take me hunting. The concept that I was playing with a real person from another continent was just amazing, and from that I joined a clan and found a real community happening right there inside the game. Imagine a place like the Special Reserve forums, but surrounded by a cracking game set in the Star Wars universe – can you understand why I’m looking forward to this title so much?
You create your character at the start of the game from one of the traditional Star Wars races. You alter all sorts of appearance variables through slider bars, so basically end up with a rather unique character – something current MMORPGs struggle with. You then take this character and are free to explore 10 different, huge planets in a totally open game. If you think GTA3 gave you freedom you simply haven’t experienced a game of this type. The development team have reassuringly confirmed that there will be features there to guide the inexperienced into the game and provide challenges for the bored veteran, problems with current MMORPGs.
A key aspect, as far as I’m concerned, is that the developers have said it will be very hard to become a Jedi, and hence they’ll be very rare. MMORPGs traditionally suffer from two problems, a lack of long-term goals you could actually be bothered with and that for the die-hard player who goes for these tasks the challenge is over too quickly. If the long-term target is becoming a Jedi, it is definitely something I want to play towards. Further E3 comments confirm that once you become a Jedi Darth Vader himself will be after you and may even send Boba Fett to try to kill you… it’s almost too much… I want this game now!
TOE JAM AND EARL 3
This is a forgotten classic franchise from the old 16-bit day as far as I’m concerned. Oh how I laughed as a 10-year-old lad when the main characters farted, but that doesn’t keep you playing through to the end. There was a solid game behind the humour, and with Sega as video gaming’s Golden Boys, this is definitely a sit up and take notice title.
Your goal? To make the world a “funky” place to be! This is another title little is known about, but it does have one pretty unique feature already confirmed – the gaming world will be randomly generated each time you load the game. Replay value? I think so.
This is a pretty unique title, part rhythm action, part action adventure and with a huge slice of good humour and fun thrown in. With the inevitable PC ports featuring in the Xbox line up, it’s nice to see a title that isn’t too serious about its self. However (and at the risk of sounding like I’m repeating myself) very little is known about this game, so who knows what it will end up like – but I’ll be keeping an eye out for it.
PROJECT EGO
Peter Molyneux working on a title called “Project Ego”? The titters were audible when this was announced – were all his games to date not forms of self-gratification? Indeed, and he’s already labelled this “the best RPG ever”, no problems with his self esteem then.
The more I read about this game the further it goes up my most wanted list. You take the role of a young lad who returns home to find his family killed and then you are pretty much left to your own devices with vengeance in mind and the whole character’s life ahead of you. It may sound a little familiar if you’ve played Black and White – the decisions you make over your player’s life change his physical characteristics and you can choose the path of tyranny and rage or the path of righteousness. Work out and you’ll get strong to aid your fighting, but eat too much and you grow fat and lethargic. Your interactions with non-player characters and the gaming world in general will change the gaming environment; this is high concept game development.
The potential here is simply huge. The things the title’s success will rest on will be the combat system and the title’s plot. All characters supposedly have super advanced AI, so in a fight if your opponent thinks he’ll be over powered he may try to run and hide in the surrounding scenery and each character will quietly go about their day-to-day business unless you interrupt them (all sounds a little Shenmue). From this sort of AI and pleasing fighter can definitely be built – but it will depend in the actual mechanics of the fight. RPGs are notoriously poor in this area and if Project Ego can hit this nail on the head then they could be onto something HUGE. Due to the huge scope of this title the plot will be hugely important, it boils down to will it keep you wanting to play the game for the hours and hours it seems like Molyneux wants you to.
Black and White was touted with similarly grandiose claims and didn’t really live up to them. Fingers, toes, legs and eyes crossed that Project Ego will deliver as this could be something really, really special.
-----------
Now considering I started with the goal of finding Xbox exclusives, you’ll see a few problems. Doom, as a franchise has been ported onto every system in existence, so the thought that it won’t eventually make it over to the other systems would be naive. Similarly, Star Wars Galaxies is being developed by Sony and is ultimately guaranteed to be on the PS2 – though that will require the purchase of a hard drive and modem, which is already included with the Xbox. If we begin to question the above games exclusivity the list grows ever shorter and hence the idea of purchasing an Xbox alongside the other questions becomes more questionable. Two issues come to mind though, most notably, this isn’t an exhaustive list. I’ve not yet mentioned Panzer Dragoon Orta or Crazy Taxi 3 from Sega and the sequel to Project Gotham Racing is guaranteed to be one to watch.
More than anything, though, the Xbox is looking like the home for the developer’s best efforts for multi-format titles. It’s got the grunt and the familiar architecture for the PC guys and that just lends itself to the tweaks and add-ons that take a good game and make it special. Internet options are bound to be more common in Xbox titles as every user has a modem and Microsoft have a huge wealth of experience in working on-line that developer can benefit from. Remember, Microsoft are the only one of the next developers who have experience in the on-line gaming environment as they’ve been running a gaming arm of MSN that played host to titles like Asherton’s Call for years now.
Basically, I’m feeling a lot better about shelling out £200 on an Xbox now than I did, oh, a couple of thousand words ago. The abridged version of this lengthy post? Do not write the Xbox off before it gets out of the traps.
A desperate man trying to validate a rash purchase or valid points? I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for your views… actually; I’m knacked after writing all that, I’m off to bed :)
I own a Gamecube and PS2 already, so anything multi-format and I’m covered (naively assuming that quality is consistent on ports between consoles). I clearly have a PC too, though the thought of keeping it top-of-the-range for gaming worries my wallet, so it’s conveniently forgotten about for the moment. Question boils down to are there enough quality Xbox exclusives to make its purchase worthwhile?
Before we get to the games the starting point has to be the hardware. I know I may be alone in saying this – but I like it, including the size. The first thing that strikes you about the console is how big and heavy it is, and for me that was reassuring in a strange kind of way. It feels like something that should have cost you a fairly sizable wad of cash and that it’ll take a few bashes and tumbles and be none the worse for wear. The controller wasn’t as bad as I was expecting either. Again, it is far bulkier than the other consoles controllers and I’ll happily admit it is a shade too big, however the big curves feel rather natural in your hand. It is undoubtedly chunky and people with small hands will struggle, but for me it’s oversized nature is preferable to the Dreamcast’s controller which was slightly too small.
The shoulder buttons are superb too, second only to the Gamecube’s. They’ve got the huge, smooth action that’s missing from the PS2’s controller yet is vital for proper analogue buttons. The actual sticks are a little too loose for my liking, would like to feel a little more resistance and a smoother action, but no huge problems. Oh, and four ports on the front of the console is always good in my book. Why didn’t the PS2 have this as standard? I’m I being too cynical when I jump to the conclusion that it was merely a ploy to get more cash from selling multi-taps separately?
The four-controller port thing actually brings up an interesting area – the amount that is included in the Xbox as standard. For your £200 you not only get the console with the most pure grunt, but broadband capabilities and a hard drive as standard. Okay, so the only use for this at the moment is to save games (hence no real need for a memory card, which is handy as the Xbox’s are really ugly), but in the coming months this will be hugely important.
We’ve had it drummed into our heads for what seems like years that hard drives and on-line titles are the next big thing in consoles – but nothing, as of yet, has come of it. One reason is that we simply don’t have the infrastructure to facilitate this next step. The Dreamcast tried 56k on line gaming, but this is very limited by definition. BT are slowly rolling out ADSL, and the cable boys are doing their bit too, so fingers crossed for wider access to broadband as I’m genuinely excited about on-line titles (but more of that later). Another barrier is that people simply don’t like buying expensive add-ons for their consoles until the software is there to give them some guarantee that they’ll get their monies worth. However, the problem is that the games publishers don’t want to fund games that make full use of e.g. a hard drive, until they know there is a market big enough to support the investment. You see the Xbox’s advantage yet? Every single Xbox user has the same modem and the same hard drive, so no one has to worry about shelling out extra cash or developing for a reduced portion of the potential Xbox market. Hopefully this means both features will be used and we, as gamers, can see what all the fuss has been about.
Another bonus I would see in the Xbox’s hardware is it’s similarities to top end PCs. I know, I know, most people will see this as a flaw, and really the two aren’t that similar, it’s just the use of the GeForce GPU in the Xbox. Everyone knows that consoles best games technically come towards the end of its life cycle as developers have had longer with the hardware and know how to squeeze every last drop of goodness out of it. By using a GeForce GPU (and, I guess, also the Intel CPU), Microsoft are using something that most developers have been working with for significant periods of time. Sure, we’ve changed from the GeForce 1 to the GeForce 2 and 3 and 4 etc, and the Xbox’s is slightly different again, but there is more of a relationship bridging the gaps between these cards and that between, say, the PSX and PS2.
Once we get down to consumer level, that won’t really matter – gameplay not graphics and all that. However, gameplay is facilitated by graphics and CPU cycles to calculate, for example, AI algorithms, but it also means PC ports will be quick and easy. For some reason I am now imaging reader cringe because I actually think PC ports are a good thing… well, look at it this way, how much does a top of the range PC cost? One where you can play every game as the developers intended i.e. with every graphics variable on/maxed out. A PC that will do this now won’t even last you that long in maxed out mode as something bigger and better that requires more grunt will inevitably come along within a year – especially now nVida are using shorter development cycles for their cards and hence are pumping them out faster. I’m not pretending for a second that the Xbox will be as powerful as a top end PC in 18 months time, but in the console environment you know you are always playing the game as the developer intended. You know you are using the hardware that the title was optimised for, so it is squeezing every potential drop of power out of it. Do you really think they’ll bother doing that for an older PC graphics card, which only a fraction of their user base will actually have?
Anyway, easy PC ports equal more games, which can only be a good thing. It’s that simple, and it also brings me back to the games, which is handy. As I’ve already mentioned for those who’ve skimmed down/forgot/lost the will to live somewhere in the middle of the hardware rant, these are all Xbox exclusives in the console market i.e. PC doesn’t count for my purposes here.
DOOM III
Ah, one of those PC port then, and one that’s bound to need a £2000 plus uber-box to see in all it’s glory, or maybe just a £200 Xbox. The boys at id may have been quiet of late, and John Carmack has undoubtedly lost his title as FPS’s Golden Boy, but this is a new Doom game and that’s still something to get excited about. The potential problem is that the FPS market is now subtly different to when Doom’s trademark Hordes were last seen – Half Life have lead gamers to expect a plot. Not a bad thing at all, Deus Ex has taken Half Life’s place as the primo FPS-with-a-storyline title and shown just how good it can get. Will id stun us with something better? Well according to the E3 reports, they are boasting about their “professionally written storyline”, but at the end of the day does that really matter hugely? Serious Sam has shown that we are still up for some good old-fashioned hoards and a plot no more complicated than “you must kill everything that moves for some reason”, and another slice of Doom will still be welcome if it was to take these lines.
The thing about Doom always was the atmosphere. It may only have been crude clusters of pixels attacking you, but the adrenaline was pumping and this was mostly due to the hoards of bloodthirsty beasties attacking you. One might argue that all the storyline really does is aid this atmosphere, and this is provided amply by the adrenaline rush from hoards and Doom’s traditional threat. Okay, clearly some entertainment can be derived from a good plot, but if that’s what I’m looking for I’ll watch a film or read a book. The mere hint that the AI routines are based on sight almost has this game sold to me. Imagine the threat of the masses of enemies swarming on you like in the original titles, but that they can see you and are basing their attack patterns based on the landscape that in the vision.
Really, it is far too early to make that many conclusions on this title. The screen shots look great but the simple fact that it’s a new Doom game should whet the appetite. A challenger for Halo’s crown as top console FPS? Only time will tell.
STAR WARS GALAXIES
I am looking forward to this game more than any other (provided BT can get their lazy behinds in gear and get the local phone exchange up to speed). I was brought up on Nintendo and Mario 64 is my favourite ever game, but Mario Sunshine is an unexpected second to this title.
Star Wars Galaxies is an MMORPG – a Massively Multiplayer On-Line Game. You play in the same world as every other person who plays the game, so through the wonders of a broadband connection you’re in a worldwide community. My only real experience of an MMORPG to date is Asherton’s Call on the PC (Phantasy Star On-Line simply doesn’t count, it isn’t a true MMORPG), and it’s left me thirsty for more. Inside my first hour on Asherton’s Call I got a huge boost by an experienced player who decided to give me a huge pile of his old equipment and take me hunting. The concept that I was playing with a real person from another continent was just amazing, and from that I joined a clan and found a real community happening right there inside the game. Imagine a place like the Special Reserve forums, but surrounded by a cracking game set in the Star Wars universe – can you understand why I’m looking forward to this title so much?
You create your character at the start of the game from one of the traditional Star Wars races. You alter all sorts of appearance variables through slider bars, so basically end up with a rather unique character – something current MMORPGs struggle with. You then take this character and are free to explore 10 different, huge planets in a totally open game. If you think GTA3 gave you freedom you simply haven’t experienced a game of this type. The development team have reassuringly confirmed that there will be features there to guide the inexperienced into the game and provide challenges for the bored veteran, problems with current MMORPGs.
A key aspect, as far as I’m concerned, is that the developers have said it will be very hard to become a Jedi, and hence they’ll be very rare. MMORPGs traditionally suffer from two problems, a lack of long-term goals you could actually be bothered with and that for the die-hard player who goes for these tasks the challenge is over too quickly. If the long-term target is becoming a Jedi, it is definitely something I want to play towards. Further E3 comments confirm that once you become a Jedi Darth Vader himself will be after you and may even send Boba Fett to try to kill you… it’s almost too much… I want this game now!
TOE JAM AND EARL 3
This is a forgotten classic franchise from the old 16-bit day as far as I’m concerned. Oh how I laughed as a 10-year-old lad when the main characters farted, but that doesn’t keep you playing through to the end. There was a solid game behind the humour, and with Sega as video gaming’s Golden Boys, this is definitely a sit up and take notice title.
Your goal? To make the world a “funky” place to be! This is another title little is known about, but it does have one pretty unique feature already confirmed – the gaming world will be randomly generated each time you load the game. Replay value? I think so.
This is a pretty unique title, part rhythm action, part action adventure and with a huge slice of good humour and fun thrown in. With the inevitable PC ports featuring in the Xbox line up, it’s nice to see a title that isn’t too serious about its self. However (and at the risk of sounding like I’m repeating myself) very little is known about this game, so who knows what it will end up like – but I’ll be keeping an eye out for it.
PROJECT EGO
Peter Molyneux working on a title called “Project Ego”? The titters were audible when this was announced – were all his games to date not forms of self-gratification? Indeed, and he’s already labelled this “the best RPG ever”, no problems with his self esteem then.
The more I read about this game the further it goes up my most wanted list. You take the role of a young lad who returns home to find his family killed and then you are pretty much left to your own devices with vengeance in mind and the whole character’s life ahead of you. It may sound a little familiar if you’ve played Black and White – the decisions you make over your player’s life change his physical characteristics and you can choose the path of tyranny and rage or the path of righteousness. Work out and you’ll get strong to aid your fighting, but eat too much and you grow fat and lethargic. Your interactions with non-player characters and the gaming world in general will change the gaming environment; this is high concept game development.
The potential here is simply huge. The things the title’s success will rest on will be the combat system and the title’s plot. All characters supposedly have super advanced AI, so in a fight if your opponent thinks he’ll be over powered he may try to run and hide in the surrounding scenery and each character will quietly go about their day-to-day business unless you interrupt them (all sounds a little Shenmue). From this sort of AI and pleasing fighter can definitely be built – but it will depend in the actual mechanics of the fight. RPGs are notoriously poor in this area and if Project Ego can hit this nail on the head then they could be onto something HUGE. Due to the huge scope of this title the plot will be hugely important, it boils down to will it keep you wanting to play the game for the hours and hours it seems like Molyneux wants you to.
Black and White was touted with similarly grandiose claims and didn’t really live up to them. Fingers, toes, legs and eyes crossed that Project Ego will deliver as this could be something really, really special.
-----------
Now considering I started with the goal of finding Xbox exclusives, you’ll see a few problems. Doom, as a franchise has been ported onto every system in existence, so the thought that it won’t eventually make it over to the other systems would be naive. Similarly, Star Wars Galaxies is being developed by Sony and is ultimately guaranteed to be on the PS2 – though that will require the purchase of a hard drive and modem, which is already included with the Xbox. If we begin to question the above games exclusivity the list grows ever shorter and hence the idea of purchasing an Xbox alongside the other questions becomes more questionable. Two issues come to mind though, most notably, this isn’t an exhaustive list. I’ve not yet mentioned Panzer Dragoon Orta or Crazy Taxi 3 from Sega and the sequel to Project Gotham Racing is guaranteed to be one to watch.
More than anything, though, the Xbox is looking like the home for the developer’s best efforts for multi-format titles. It’s got the grunt and the familiar architecture for the PC guys and that just lends itself to the tweaks and add-ons that take a good game and make it special. Internet options are bound to be more common in Xbox titles as every user has a modem and Microsoft have a huge wealth of experience in working on-line that developer can benefit from. Remember, Microsoft are the only one of the next developers who have experience in the on-line gaming environment as they’ve been running a gaming arm of MSN that played host to titles like Asherton’s Call for years now.
Basically, I’m feeling a lot better about shelling out £200 on an Xbox now than I did, oh, a couple of thousand words ago. The abridged version of this lengthy post? Do not write the Xbox off before it gets out of the traps.
A desperate man trying to validate a rash purchase or valid points? I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for your views… actually; I’m knacked after writing all that, I’m off to bed :)
I completed the holy trinity of current consoles by picking up an Xbox yesterday. It’s now sitting nestled beside my PS2, with the Gamecube riding piggyback as I’m quickly running out of shelf space! I’d been told more times than I can remember how I simply had to play Halo, and I’m pretty interested in trying out Jet Set Radio Future too, so I’m happy games wise for the very short term future. However, I’m more concerned about the console in the long term and knowing people here are particularly critical of Microsoft’s new toy, I thought I’d let you in on my findings after an hour or so reading the web’s reports on E3 and my own thoughts.
I own a Gamecube and PS2 already, so anything multi-format and I’m covered (naively assuming that quality is consistent on ports between consoles). I clearly have a PC too, though the thought of keeping it top-of-the-range for gaming worries my wallet, so it’s conveniently forgotten about for the moment. Question boils down to are there enough quality Xbox exclusives to make its purchase worthwhile?
Before we get to the games the starting point has to be the hardware. I know I may be alone in saying this – but I like it, including the size. The first thing that strikes you about the console is how big and heavy it is, and for me that was reassuring in a strange kind of way. It feels like something that should have cost you a fairly sizable wad of cash and that it’ll take a few bashes and tumbles and be none the worse for wear. The controller wasn’t as bad as I was expecting either. Again, it is far bulkier than the other consoles controllers and I’ll happily admit it is a shade too big, however the big curves feel rather natural in your hand. It is undoubtedly chunky and people with small hands will struggle, but for me it’s oversized nature is preferable to the Dreamcast’s controller which was slightly too small.
The shoulder buttons are superb too, second only to the Gamecube’s. They’ve got the huge, smooth action that’s missing from the PS2’s controller yet is vital for proper analogue buttons. The actual sticks are a little too loose for my liking, would like to feel a little more resistance and a smoother action, but no huge problems. Oh, and four ports on the front of the console is always good in my book. Why didn’t the PS2 have this as standard? I’m I being too cynical when I jump to the conclusion that it was merely a ploy to get more cash from selling multi-taps separately?
The four-controller port thing actually brings up an interesting area – the amount that is included in the Xbox as standard. For your £200 you not only get the console with the most pure grunt, but broadband capabilities and a hard drive as standard. Okay, so the only use for this at the moment is to save games (hence no real need for a memory card, which is handy as the Xbox’s are really ugly), but in the coming months this will be hugely important.
We’ve had it drummed into our heads for what seems like years that hard drives and on-line titles are the next big thing in consoles – but nothing, as of yet, has come of it. One reason is that we simply don’t have the infrastructure to facilitate this next step. The Dreamcast tried 56k on line gaming, but this is very limited by definition. BT are slowly rolling out ADSL, and the cable boys are doing their bit too, so fingers crossed for wider access to broadband as I’m genuinely excited about on-line titles (but more of that later). Another barrier is that people simply don’t like buying expensive add-ons for their consoles until the software is there to give them some guarantee that they’ll get their monies worth. However, the problem is that the games publishers don’t want to fund games that make full use of e.g. a hard drive, until they know there is a market big enough to support the investment. You see the Xbox’s advantage yet? Every single Xbox user has the same modem and the same hard drive, so no one has to worry about shelling out extra cash or developing for a reduced portion of the potential Xbox market. Hopefully this means both features will be used and we, as gamers, can see what all the fuss has been about.
Another bonus I would see in the Xbox’s hardware is it’s similarities to top end PCs. I know, I know, most people will see this as a flaw, and really the two aren’t that similar, it’s just the use of the GeForce GPU in the Xbox. Everyone knows that consoles best games technically come towards the end of its life cycle as developers have had longer with the hardware and know how to squeeze every last drop of goodness out of it. By using a GeForce GPU (and, I guess, also the Intel CPU), Microsoft are using something that most developers have been working with for significant periods of time. Sure, we’ve changed from the GeForce 1 to the GeForce 2 and 3 and 4 etc, and the Xbox’s is slightly different again, but there is more of a relationship bridging the gaps between these cards and that between, say, the PSX and PS2.
Once we get down to consumer level, that won’t really matter – gameplay not graphics and all that. However, gameplay is facilitated by graphics and CPU cycles to calculate, for example, AI algorithms, but it also means PC ports will be quick and easy. For some reason I am now imaging reader cringe because I actually think PC ports are a good thing… well, look at it this way, how much does a top of the range PC cost? One where you can play every game as the developers intended i.e. with every graphics variable on/maxed out. A PC that will do this now won’t even last you that long in maxed out mode as something bigger and better that requires more grunt will inevitably come along within a year – especially now nVida are using shorter development cycles for their cards and hence are pumping them out faster. I’m not pretending for a second that the Xbox will be as powerful as a top end PC in 18 months time, but in the console environment you know you are always playing the game as the developer intended. You know you are using the hardware that the title was optimised for, so it is squeezing every potential drop of power out of it. Do you really think they’ll bother doing that for an older PC graphics card, which only a fraction of their user base will actually have?
Anyway, easy PC ports equal more games, which can only be a good thing. It’s that simple, and it also brings me back to the games, which is handy. As I’ve already mentioned for those who’ve skimmed down/forgot/lost the will to live somewhere in the middle of the hardware rant, these are all Xbox exclusives in the console market i.e. PC doesn’t count for my purposes here.
DOOM III
Ah, one of those PC port then, and one that’s bound to need a £2000 plus uber-box to see in all it’s glory, or maybe just a £200 Xbox. The boys at id may have been quiet of late, and John Carmack has undoubtedly lost his title as FPS’s Golden Boy, but this is a new Doom game and that’s still something to get excited about. The potential problem is that the FPS market is now subtly different to when Doom’s trademark Hordes were last seen – Half Life have lead gamers to expect a plot. Not a bad thing at all, Deus Ex has taken Half Life’s place as the primo FPS-with-a-storyline title and shown just how good it can get. Will id stun us with something better? Well according to the E3 reports, they are boasting about their “professionally written storyline”, but at the end of the day does that really matter hugely? Serious Sam has shown that we are still up for some good old-fashioned hoards and a plot no more complicated than “you must kill everything that moves for some reason”, and another slice of Doom will still be welcome if it was to take these lines.
The thing about Doom always was the atmosphere. It may only have been crude clusters of pixels attacking you, but the adrenaline was pumping and this was mostly due to the hoards of bloodthirsty beasties attacking you. One might argue that all the storyline really does is aid this atmosphere, and this is provided amply by the adrenaline rush from hoards and Doom’s traditional threat. Okay, clearly some entertainment can be derived from a good plot, but if that’s what I’m looking for I’ll watch a film or read a book. The mere hint that the AI routines are based on sight almost has this game sold to me. Imagine the threat of the masses of enemies swarming on you like in the original titles, but that they can see you and are basing their attack patterns based on the landscape that in the vision.
Really, it is far too early to make that many conclusions on this title. The screen shots look great but the simple fact that it’s a new Doom game should whet the appetite. A challenger for Halo’s crown as top console FPS? Only time will tell.
STAR WARS GALAXIES
I am looking forward to this game more than any other (provided BT can get their lazy behinds in gear and get the local phone exchange up to speed). I was brought up on Nintendo and Mario 64 is my favourite ever game, but Mario Sunshine is an unexpected second to this title.
Star Wars Galaxies is an MMORPG – a Massively Multiplayer On-Line Game. You play in the same world as every other person who plays the game, so through the wonders of a broadband connection you’re in a worldwide community. My only real experience of an MMORPG to date is Asherton’s Call on the PC (Phantasy Star On-Line simply doesn’t count, it isn’t a true MMORPG), and it’s left me thirsty for more. Inside my first hour on Asherton’s Call I got a huge boost by an experienced player who decided to give me a huge pile of his old equipment and take me hunting. The concept that I was playing with a real person from another continent was just amazing, and from that I joined a clan and found a real community happening right there inside the game. Imagine a place like the Special Reserve forums, but surrounded by a cracking game set in the Star Wars universe – can you understand why I’m looking forward to this title so much?
You create your character at the start of the game from one of the traditional Star Wars races. You alter all sorts of appearance variables through slider bars, so basically end up with a rather unique character – something current MMORPGs struggle with. You then take this character and are free to explore 10 different, huge planets in a totally open game. If you think GTA3 gave you freedom you simply haven’t experienced a game of this type. The development team have reassuringly confirmed that there will be features there to guide the inexperienced into the game and provide challenges for the bored veteran, problems with current MMORPGs.
A key aspect, as far as I’m concerned, is that the developers have said it will be very hard to become a Jedi, and hence they’ll be very rare. MMORPGs traditionally suffer from two problems, a lack of long-term goals you could actually be bothered with and that for the die-hard player who goes for these tasks the challenge is over too quickly. If the long-term target is becoming a Jedi, it is definitely something I want to play towards. Further E3 comments confirm that once you become a Jedi Darth Vader himself will be after you and may even send Boba Fett to try to kill you… it’s almost too much… I want this game now!
TOE JAM AND EARL 3
This is a forgotten classic franchise from the old 16-bit day as far as I’m concerned. Oh how I laughed as a 10-year-old lad when the main characters farted, but that doesn’t keep you playing through to the end. There was a solid game behind the humour, and with Sega as video gaming’s Golden Boys, this is definitely a sit up and take notice title.
Your goal? To make the world a “funky” place to be! This is another title little is known about, but it does have one pretty unique feature already confirmed – the gaming world will be randomly generated each time you load the game. Replay value? I think so.
This is a pretty unique title, part rhythm action, part action adventure and with a huge slice of good humour and fun thrown in. With the inevitable PC ports featuring in the Xbox line up, it’s nice to see a title that isn’t too serious about its self. However (and at the risk of sounding like I’m repeating myself) very little is known about this game, so who knows what it will end up like – but I’ll be keeping an eye out for it.
PROJECT EGO
Peter Molyneux working on a title called “Project Ego”? The titters were audible when this was announced – were all his games to date not forms of self-gratification? Indeed, and he’s already labelled this “the best RPG ever”, no problems with his self esteem then.
The more I read about this game the further it goes up my most wanted list. You take the role of a young lad who returns home to find his family killed and then you are pretty much left to your own devices with vengeance in mind and the whole character’s life ahead of you. It may sound a little familiar if you’ve played Black and White – the decisions you make over your player’s life change his physical characteristics and you can choose the path of tyranny and rage or the path of righteousness. Work out and you’ll get strong to aid your fighting, but eat too much and you grow fat and lethargic. Your interactions with non-player characters and the gaming world in general will change the gaming environment; this is high concept game development.
The potential here is simply huge. The things the title’s success will rest on will be the combat system and the title’s plot. All characters supposedly have super advanced AI, so in a fight if your opponent thinks he’ll be over powered he may try to run and hide in the surrounding scenery and each character will quietly go about their day-to-day business unless you interrupt them (all sounds a little Shenmue). From this sort of AI and pleasing fighter can definitely be built – but it will depend in the actual mechanics of the fight. RPGs are notoriously poor in this area and if Project Ego can hit this nail on the head then they could be onto something HUGE. Due to the huge scope of this title the plot will be hugely important, it boils down to will it keep you wanting to play the game for the hours and hours it seems like Molyneux wants you to.
Black and White was touted with similarly grandiose claims and didn’t really live up to them. Fingers, toes, legs and eyes crossed that Project Ego will deliver as this could be something really, really special.
-----------
Now considering I started with the goal of finding Xbox exclusives, you’ll see a few problems. Doom, as a franchise has been ported onto every system in existence, so the thought that it won’t eventually make it over to the other systems would be naive. Similarly, Star Wars Galaxies is being developed by Sony and is ultimately guaranteed to be on the PS2 – though that will require the purchase of a hard drive and modem, which is already included with the Xbox. If we begin to question the above games exclusivity the list grows ever shorter and hence the idea of purchasing an Xbox alongside the other questions becomes more questionable. Two issues come to mind though, most notably, this isn’t an exhaustive list. I’ve not yet mentioned Panzer Dragoon Orta or Crazy Taxi 3 from Sega and the sequel to Project Gotham Racing is guaranteed to be one to watch.
More than anything, though, the Xbox is looking like the home for the developer’s best efforts for multi-format titles. It’s got the grunt and the familiar architecture for the PC guys and that just lends itself to the tweaks and add-ons that take a good game and make it special. Internet options are bound to be more common in Xbox titles as every user has a modem and Microsoft have a huge wealth of experience in working on-line that developer can benefit from. Remember, Microsoft are the only one of the next developers who have experience in the on-line gaming environment as they’ve been running a gaming arm of MSN that played host to titles like Asherton’s Call for years now.
Basically, I’m feeling a lot better about shelling out £200 on an Xbox now than I did, oh, a couple of thousand words ago. The abridged version of this lengthy post? Do not write the Xbox off before it gets out of the traps.
A desperate man trying to validate a rash purchase or valid points? I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for your views… actually; I’m knacked after writing all that, I’m off to bed :)
I own a Gamecube and PS2 already, so anything multi-format and I’m covered (naively assuming that quality is consistent on ports between consoles). I clearly have a PC too, though the thought of keeping it top-of-the-range for gaming worries my wallet, so it’s conveniently forgotten about for the moment. Question boils down to are there enough quality Xbox exclusives to make its purchase worthwhile?
Before we get to the games the starting point has to be the hardware. I know I may be alone in saying this – but I like it, including the size. The first thing that strikes you about the console is how big and heavy it is, and for me that was reassuring in a strange kind of way. It feels like something that should have cost you a fairly sizable wad of cash and that it’ll take a few bashes and tumbles and be none the worse for wear. The controller wasn’t as bad as I was expecting either. Again, it is far bulkier than the other consoles controllers and I’ll happily admit it is a shade too big, however the big curves feel rather natural in your hand. It is undoubtedly chunky and people with small hands will struggle, but for me it’s oversized nature is preferable to the Dreamcast’s controller which was slightly too small.
The shoulder buttons are superb too, second only to the Gamecube’s. They’ve got the huge, smooth action that’s missing from the PS2’s controller yet is vital for proper analogue buttons. The actual sticks are a little too loose for my liking, would like to feel a little more resistance and a smoother action, but no huge problems. Oh, and four ports on the front of the console is always good in my book. Why didn’t the PS2 have this as standard? I’m I being too cynical when I jump to the conclusion that it was merely a ploy to get more cash from selling multi-taps separately?
The four-controller port thing actually brings up an interesting area – the amount that is included in the Xbox as standard. For your £200 you not only get the console with the most pure grunt, but broadband capabilities and a hard drive as standard. Okay, so the only use for this at the moment is to save games (hence no real need for a memory card, which is handy as the Xbox’s are really ugly), but in the coming months this will be hugely important.
We’ve had it drummed into our heads for what seems like years that hard drives and on-line titles are the next big thing in consoles – but nothing, as of yet, has come of it. One reason is that we simply don’t have the infrastructure to facilitate this next step. The Dreamcast tried 56k on line gaming, but this is very limited by definition. BT are slowly rolling out ADSL, and the cable boys are doing their bit too, so fingers crossed for wider access to broadband as I’m genuinely excited about on-line titles (but more of that later). Another barrier is that people simply don’t like buying expensive add-ons for their consoles until the software is there to give them some guarantee that they’ll get their monies worth. However, the problem is that the games publishers don’t want to fund games that make full use of e.g. a hard drive, until they know there is a market big enough to support the investment. You see the Xbox’s advantage yet? Every single Xbox user has the same modem and the same hard drive, so no one has to worry about shelling out extra cash or developing for a reduced portion of the potential Xbox market. Hopefully this means both features will be used and we, as gamers, can see what all the fuss has been about.
Another bonus I would see in the Xbox’s hardware is it’s similarities to top end PCs. I know, I know, most people will see this as a flaw, and really the two aren’t that similar, it’s just the use of the GeForce GPU in the Xbox. Everyone knows that consoles best games technically come towards the end of its life cycle as developers have had longer with the hardware and know how to squeeze every last drop of goodness out of it. By using a GeForce GPU (and, I guess, also the Intel CPU), Microsoft are using something that most developers have been working with for significant periods of time. Sure, we’ve changed from the GeForce 1 to the GeForce 2 and 3 and 4 etc, and the Xbox’s is slightly different again, but there is more of a relationship bridging the gaps between these cards and that between, say, the PSX and PS2.
Once we get down to consumer level, that won’t really matter – gameplay not graphics and all that. However, gameplay is facilitated by graphics and CPU cycles to calculate, for example, AI algorithms, but it also means PC ports will be quick and easy. For some reason I am now imaging reader cringe because I actually think PC ports are a good thing… well, look at it this way, how much does a top of the range PC cost? One where you can play every game as the developers intended i.e. with every graphics variable on/maxed out. A PC that will do this now won’t even last you that long in maxed out mode as something bigger and better that requires more grunt will inevitably come along within a year – especially now nVida are using shorter development cycles for their cards and hence are pumping them out faster. I’m not pretending for a second that the Xbox will be as powerful as a top end PC in 18 months time, but in the console environment you know you are always playing the game as the developer intended. You know you are using the hardware that the title was optimised for, so it is squeezing every potential drop of power out of it. Do you really think they’ll bother doing that for an older PC graphics card, which only a fraction of their user base will actually have?
Anyway, easy PC ports equal more games, which can only be a good thing. It’s that simple, and it also brings me back to the games, which is handy. As I’ve already mentioned for those who’ve skimmed down/forgot/lost the will to live somewhere in the middle of the hardware rant, these are all Xbox exclusives in the console market i.e. PC doesn’t count for my purposes here.
DOOM III
Ah, one of those PC port then, and one that’s bound to need a £2000 plus uber-box to see in all it’s glory, or maybe just a £200 Xbox. The boys at id may have been quiet of late, and John Carmack has undoubtedly lost his title as FPS’s Golden Boy, but this is a new Doom game and that’s still something to get excited about. The potential problem is that the FPS market is now subtly different to when Doom’s trademark Hordes were last seen – Half Life have lead gamers to expect a plot. Not a bad thing at all, Deus Ex has taken Half Life’s place as the primo FPS-with-a-storyline title and shown just how good it can get. Will id stun us with something better? Well according to the E3 reports, they are boasting about their “professionally written storyline”, but at the end of the day does that really matter hugely? Serious Sam has shown that we are still up for some good old-fashioned hoards and a plot no more complicated than “you must kill everything that moves for some reason”, and another slice of Doom will still be welcome if it was to take these lines.
The thing about Doom always was the atmosphere. It may only have been crude clusters of pixels attacking you, but the adrenaline was pumping and this was mostly due to the hoards of bloodthirsty beasties attacking you. One might argue that all the storyline really does is aid this atmosphere, and this is provided amply by the adrenaline rush from hoards and Doom’s traditional threat. Okay, clearly some entertainment can be derived from a good plot, but if that’s what I’m looking for I’ll watch a film or read a book. The mere hint that the AI routines are based on sight almost has this game sold to me. Imagine the threat of the masses of enemies swarming on you like in the original titles, but that they can see you and are basing their attack patterns based on the landscape that in the vision.
Really, it is far too early to make that many conclusions on this title. The screen shots look great but the simple fact that it’s a new Doom game should whet the appetite. A challenger for Halo’s crown as top console FPS? Only time will tell.
STAR WARS GALAXIES
I am looking forward to this game more than any other (provided BT can get their lazy behinds in gear and get the local phone exchange up to speed). I was brought up on Nintendo and Mario 64 is my favourite ever game, but Mario Sunshine is an unexpected second to this title.
Star Wars Galaxies is an MMORPG – a Massively Multiplayer On-Line Game. You play in the same world as every other person who plays the game, so through the wonders of a broadband connection you’re in a worldwide community. My only real experience of an MMORPG to date is Asherton’s Call on the PC (Phantasy Star On-Line simply doesn’t count, it isn’t a true MMORPG), and it’s left me thirsty for more. Inside my first hour on Asherton’s Call I got a huge boost by an experienced player who decided to give me a huge pile of his old equipment and take me hunting. The concept that I was playing with a real person from another continent was just amazing, and from that I joined a clan and found a real community happening right there inside the game. Imagine a place like the Special Reserve forums, but surrounded by a cracking game set in the Star Wars universe – can you understand why I’m looking forward to this title so much?
You create your character at the start of the game from one of the traditional Star Wars races. You alter all sorts of appearance variables through slider bars, so basically end up with a rather unique character – something current MMORPGs struggle with. You then take this character and are free to explore 10 different, huge planets in a totally open game. If you think GTA3 gave you freedom you simply haven’t experienced a game of this type. The development team have reassuringly confirmed that there will be features there to guide the inexperienced into the game and provide challenges for the bored veteran, problems with current MMORPGs.
A key aspect, as far as I’m concerned, is that the developers have said it will be very hard to become a Jedi, and hence they’ll be very rare. MMORPGs traditionally suffer from two problems, a lack of long-term goals you could actually be bothered with and that for the die-hard player who goes for these tasks the challenge is over too quickly. If the long-term target is becoming a Jedi, it is definitely something I want to play towards. Further E3 comments confirm that once you become a Jedi Darth Vader himself will be after you and may even send Boba Fett to try to kill you… it’s almost too much… I want this game now!
TOE JAM AND EARL 3
This is a forgotten classic franchise from the old 16-bit day as far as I’m concerned. Oh how I laughed as a 10-year-old lad when the main characters farted, but that doesn’t keep you playing through to the end. There was a solid game behind the humour, and with Sega as video gaming’s Golden Boys, this is definitely a sit up and take notice title.
Your goal? To make the world a “funky” place to be! This is another title little is known about, but it does have one pretty unique feature already confirmed – the gaming world will be randomly generated each time you load the game. Replay value? I think so.
This is a pretty unique title, part rhythm action, part action adventure and with a huge slice of good humour and fun thrown in. With the inevitable PC ports featuring in the Xbox line up, it’s nice to see a title that isn’t too serious about its self. However (and at the risk of sounding like I’m repeating myself) very little is known about this game, so who knows what it will end up like – but I’ll be keeping an eye out for it.
PROJECT EGO
Peter Molyneux working on a title called “Project Ego”? The titters were audible when this was announced – were all his games to date not forms of self-gratification? Indeed, and he’s already labelled this “the best RPG ever”, no problems with his self esteem then.
The more I read about this game the further it goes up my most wanted list. You take the role of a young lad who returns home to find his family killed and then you are pretty much left to your own devices with vengeance in mind and the whole character’s life ahead of you. It may sound a little familiar if you’ve played Black and White – the decisions you make over your player’s life change his physical characteristics and you can choose the path of tyranny and rage or the path of righteousness. Work out and you’ll get strong to aid your fighting, but eat too much and you grow fat and lethargic. Your interactions with non-player characters and the gaming world in general will change the gaming environment; this is high concept game development.
The potential here is simply huge. The things the title’s success will rest on will be the combat system and the title’s plot. All characters supposedly have super advanced AI, so in a fight if your opponent thinks he’ll be over powered he may try to run and hide in the surrounding scenery and each character will quietly go about their day-to-day business unless you interrupt them (all sounds a little Shenmue). From this sort of AI and pleasing fighter can definitely be built – but it will depend in the actual mechanics of the fight. RPGs are notoriously poor in this area and if Project Ego can hit this nail on the head then they could be onto something HUGE. Due to the huge scope of this title the plot will be hugely important, it boils down to will it keep you wanting to play the game for the hours and hours it seems like Molyneux wants you to.
Black and White was touted with similarly grandiose claims and didn’t really live up to them. Fingers, toes, legs and eyes crossed that Project Ego will deliver as this could be something really, really special.
-----------
Now considering I started with the goal of finding Xbox exclusives, you’ll see a few problems. Doom, as a franchise has been ported onto every system in existence, so the thought that it won’t eventually make it over to the other systems would be naive. Similarly, Star Wars Galaxies is being developed by Sony and is ultimately guaranteed to be on the PS2 – though that will require the purchase of a hard drive and modem, which is already included with the Xbox. If we begin to question the above games exclusivity the list grows ever shorter and hence the idea of purchasing an Xbox alongside the other questions becomes more questionable. Two issues come to mind though, most notably, this isn’t an exhaustive list. I’ve not yet mentioned Panzer Dragoon Orta or Crazy Taxi 3 from Sega and the sequel to Project Gotham Racing is guaranteed to be one to watch.
More than anything, though, the Xbox is looking like the home for the developer’s best efforts for multi-format titles. It’s got the grunt and the familiar architecture for the PC guys and that just lends itself to the tweaks and add-ons that take a good game and make it special. Internet options are bound to be more common in Xbox titles as every user has a modem and Microsoft have a huge wealth of experience in working on-line that developer can benefit from. Remember, Microsoft are the only one of the next developers who have experience in the on-line gaming environment as they’ve been running a gaming arm of MSN that played host to titles like Asherton’s Call for years now.
Basically, I’m feeling a lot better about shelling out £200 on an Xbox now than I did, oh, a couple of thousand words ago. The abridged version of this lengthy post? Do not write the Xbox off before it gets out of the traps.
A desperate man trying to validate a rash purchase or valid points? I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for your views… actually; I’m knacked after writing all that, I’m off to bed :)
In a feed-me-now-or-I'll-get-bored society, everyone wants instantaneous results - "Where are the classic games?" "Where are the exclusives?" they splutter, wanting everything here and now *stamping their feet*
I believe the best things are worth waiting for, and even though I've greatly enjoyed many of the early "exclusive" XBOX games - [Halo, JSRF, Oddworld, PGR, etc] - I look at the future titles and I see great things, especially the huge free-roaming interactive gameworlds of Morrowind and Project Ego.
I am in no doubt whatsoever that this time next year the XBOX will be a rich source of quality and innovative titles.
I believe the best things are worth waiting for, and even though I've greatly enjoyed many of the early "exclusive" XBOX games - [Halo, JSRF, Oddworld, PGR, etc] - I look at the future titles and I see great things, especially the huge free-roaming interactive gameworlds of Morrowind and Project Ego.
I am in no doubt whatsoever that this time next year the XBOX will be a rich source of quality and innovative titles.
I now dying for more on Project Ego (which is now called Fable it seems). After I wrote the original post I got into bed and read Edge's interview with Peter Molyneux and it just confirmed my thoughts - it could be a very, very special game.
There was also news about another Xbox exclusive Lionhead title in the article called BC, it looks promising too. As the wait and anticipation is almost as good as the actual having (think Xmas morning), I'm happy enough to sit back and see what the future holds.
That said, I would love to read some more about the titles mentioned, off on another web search methinks.
N.B. for anyone who is interested in Project Ego, check out http://www.planetxbox.com/projectego/
There was also news about another Xbox exclusive Lionhead title in the article called BC, it looks promising too. As the wait and anticipation is almost as good as the actual having (think Xmas morning), I'm happy enough to sit back and see what the future holds.
That said, I would love to read some more about the titles mentioned, off on another web search methinks.
N.B. for anyone who is interested in Project Ego, check out http://www.planetxbox.com/projectego/
Long and interesting post - should win you a prize and rightly so.
The Xbox is by Microsoft so it won't fail and developers will continue to make games on the format for sure.
So far there have been a good 20 or so decent titles on the console with around 5 must haves I would say. Although the immediate future doesn't really seem overly exciting in terms of new games being released, it's clearly obvious that there will be some absolutely stunning games within the next year or so.
Panzer Dragoon will set every Sega fan's jaw to the floor, and their cash in hand ready - Blinx from Sonic team looks like it will be the NEW Nights, and Crazy Taxi 3 is just around the corner.
Titles like Soul Calibur 2 will really show which console is the king - the same game on all three major consoles, surely the pure beef from the Xbox will make it's version the best.
It's interesting to read what you have to say about the hardware future, and to be honest I can't see that many PS2 owners getting enthused by the expected price tag of hardware add ons, yet Xbox owners don't need to worry - it's already there.
It's big, it's mean and some of the graphical effects its capable of are hard to distinguish between real life.
It's a superb games machine, thanks for your post and cheers for reading my little snippet.
The Xbox is by Microsoft so it won't fail and developers will continue to make games on the format for sure.
So far there have been a good 20 or so decent titles on the console with around 5 must haves I would say. Although the immediate future doesn't really seem overly exciting in terms of new games being released, it's clearly obvious that there will be some absolutely stunning games within the next year or so.
Panzer Dragoon will set every Sega fan's jaw to the floor, and their cash in hand ready - Blinx from Sonic team looks like it will be the NEW Nights, and Crazy Taxi 3 is just around the corner.
Titles like Soul Calibur 2 will really show which console is the king - the same game on all three major consoles, surely the pure beef from the Xbox will make it's version the best.
It's interesting to read what you have to say about the hardware future, and to be honest I can't see that many PS2 owners getting enthused by the expected price tag of hardware add ons, yet Xbox owners don't need to worry - it's already there.
It's big, it's mean and some of the graphical effects its capable of are hard to distinguish between real life.
It's a superb games machine, thanks for your post and cheers for reading my little snippet.
Good post.
Very long, good points i think aint read it yet.
Very long, good points i think aint read it yet.
I, for one, think that for anyone who doubts the excellence of Microsoft's Xbox will have a very difficult time trying to reply to this post - excellently written and deserves to win a prize. I own an Xbox, and I think that the points given justify the purchase of an Xbox over anything that I have written or seen written on these forums so far - Well done!
I think you shoud do The Great GameCube Justification, too.
The dreamcast actually had a 33k modem or somthing around there.
Enjoy your xbox mate, as i'm sure you will. Hope to see you in the xbox forum soon.